The Protein and Carbohydrate Structure Core provides a number of services in support of basic research. This core facility has successfully provided support for investigators from the Multipurpose Arthritis Center from its first year (1988). Dr. P.C. Andrews became director of this core in May of 1990. Since that time a large number of improvements have been made in the services offered. Major services offered by the facility include: amino acid analysis, protein microsequencing, carbohydrate composition, peptide synthesis, protein mapping, isolation of protein fragments for microsequencing, and mass spectrometry of peptides and proteins. Other services planned to be introduced in the near future include circular dichroism and mapping of proteins by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The Facility now employs four full-time analysts with extensive training in peptide synthesis and protein structure analysis. The Protein and Carbohydrate Structure Core will be used by 27 MAC investigators.